Elphinstone stampede: Eyewitnesses recount the horror

At least 22 people were killed and 39 are injured in a stampede at Mumbai’s Elphinstone railway station. The incident occurred during peak hours following rains. My Medical Mantra talks to an eyewitnesses, who described the unfortunate incident

It was raining heavily since morning in Mumbai, but the metropolis was on the move. Lakhs of Mumbaikars boarded the local trains to reach their workplaces. But suddenly, a rush-hour stampede at foot over-bridge linking Elphinstone Road and Parel suburban railway stations shook the nation.

People were standing on the stairs and on the foot over-bridge waiting for the rains to stop. But, in the meanwhile, more and more people kept coming, after which there was a chaos and stampede occurred.

According to an eyewitness Rahul Kadam, “Owing to the heavy rains, people gathered on the Elphinstone and Parel connecting bridge and suddenly, one person started feeling suffocated and to save him, one person went and he slipped, after which the incident occurred. 16 to 17 dead bodies have been found and the rest have been taken to KEM Hospital.”

Another eyewitness Sadgir Ahmed (26), a Govandi resident said, “We have been working in a garment factory in Parel and were going together. There were many people stranded at the bridge, due to which we got separated. People started shouting after which we reached the place where people fell on each other. Our friend Sayyad Shaikh was also there. I called up my friends from the office and we spotted him and he was no more. Around 30 to 40 people have been pulled out.”

Arya Aladankar, who is also an eyewitness said, “I saw one man falling from the bridge and the stampede continued for almost 30 minutes. After which, the dead bodies were pulled out.”